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Thursday, January 22, 1998Last modified at 2:08 a.m. on Thursday, January 22, 1998

Weaver conviction emotional

By MEGAN DONNELL

Avalanche-Journal

Jurors were escorted out of the Lubbock County Courthouse by armed deputies Wednesday after Larry Weaver Jr.'s sister burst into a violent rage over his conviction in the attempted capital murder of a Lubbock police officer.

Two of Weaver's sisters, ages 19 and 17, were in the county jail Wednesday night on disorderly conduct charges following the outburst, which set off panic alarms simultaneously in the courthouse.

The eight-woman, four-man jury in the 364th District Court deliberated for 20 minutes before convicting Weaver of attempting to kill Officer Gerald Critz with a deadly weapon.

When the verdict was read, family members gasped and wiped away tears. Then one of the teens turned, looked at Critz and slammed her fist down on the front-row bench, startling the court.

After bailiffs guided her out the door, she hurled herself against a hallway wall and screamed racial obscenities at one of the bailiffs.

Sentencing testimony was scheduled to continue this morning.

Weaver, 18, was convicted in the April 16 attack that left both the officer and Weaver scrambling on the ground for a loaded semi-automatic 9mm pistol.

Critz testified Tuesday that he found the gun in Weaver's jacket pocket and that Weaver tried to turn the gun on him during a struggle. When Weaver lunged at the officer, Critz pushed him away and both fell to the ground.

Critz said he lost control of the pistol. As Weaver was reaching for the weapon, Critz drew his own gun and hit him over the head. Then the officer threw Weaver's gun into the street.

In the struggle, the 18-year-old also verbally threatened to kill the officer, Critz testified.

During closing arguments Wednesday, defense attorney Ron McLaren highlighted several inconsistencies in Critz's testimony and in his report, which was written hours after the struggle.

McLaren also questioned Critz's testimony that Weaver would have killed him if he had gotten control of the gun.

"How can Officer Critz be certain of what the intent was of Larry Weaver?" McLaren asked the jury. "How can you be sure?"

Assistant Criminal District Attorney W.J. Wade Jr. argued that Critz wrote down the events of the attack as accurately as he could remember.

"This is absolutely a scary, scary moment for this officer," Wade told jurors. "It's late at night, in a high-crime neighborhood, and he has a defendant with a loaded weapon."

Wade also countered that Critz truly believed Weaver would shoot him if he got his hand on the loose gun.

"This defendant made every effort, every effort he could to kill this officer," Wade said. "Everything he did indicates that he meant to kill this officer."